According to law enforcement records, Emily Montoya has worked for six police agencies throughout New Mexico.

Right now, Montoya works at a shop called The Revolving Door. Target 7 went there to talk to her about her law enforcement history. At first she said she wasn't available, but Montoya agreed to speak a short time later.

Target 7 asked Montoya about her past, which includes troubles while wearing a badge and troubles when she wasn't an officer. Montoya said all of it is explainable.

According to New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy records, Montoya's career in police work began in 1991 with the Santa Clara Police Department. She was discharged two years later.

In 1995, she took a job with the state's motor transportation division. She was discharged there after just six months.

In 1997, Montoya went to work for the Espanola Police Department. She left that department and joined the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office in 2001.

Montoya resigned from the Santa Fe job and went to the Los Alamos Police Department in 2003. She resigned from that department and went back to work in Espanola.

It was in Espanola, according to her law enforcement file, that Montoya got into an off-duty brawl with a 68-year-old man and then bragged about it to a local newspaper. She reportedly said, "I kicked the (expletive) out of him. I gave him a northern New Mexico welcome."

"That's my saying. (When) somebody takes a good licking, they get a good Tony Lama. That's just a saying that I say," Montoya said.

Montoya said the man provoked the fight and broke a light on her property.

Records state that wasn't the only argument she got into while she was an Espanola police officer. Target 7 read Montoya a report from the 2008 case in which she was quoted as saying, "When I (expletive) tell you to do something, you do it."

"Yeah, that's probably right what I said. It's because we had units that were not working correctly," Montoya said.

In that case, Montoya said she was upset about ongoing issues with her police units. She was fired from the Espanola Police Department for violating several department policies, according to LEA records.

Two months later in 2009 she took a job with the Valencia County Sheriff's Department. According to LEA records, command staff received complaints about her behavior from fellow deputies and the public. She was fired within a year.

While she was no longer a deputy, Montoya was still dealing with the law. In 2011, she was accused of assaulting a mother and daughter during a scuffle at a Valencia County home.

Montoya was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but a jury acquitted her last year.

"I was indicted and I won. And I was clearly -- I was exonerated," Montoya told Target 7. "I have the right to protect myself, just like anybody else does."

Montoya maintains that all of her troubles are the result of being tough. For that, she makes no apologies.

"There are a lot of red flags, Nancy. But you work in a business where maybe women are accepted better than the business I work at, and you have to be strong, and sometimes you must say enough is enough. And you have to put your boxing gloves on. Not that you want to. But you have to," she said.

According to the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy, Montoya is still certified and licensed to carry a weapon.

She beat her former boss, Sheriff Renee Rivera, to win the Democratic nomination in the primary. In the general election, Montoya faces the current sheriff, Louis Burkhard.

A WOMAN AS SHERIFF. BUT IN ONE COUNTY -- THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY WINNER IS A WOMAN.... WITH A LONG HISTORY IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. BUT THAT ALSO INCLUDES BEING FIRED FROM TWO DEPARTMENTS. TARGET 7 INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER NANCY LAFLIN FINDS OUT WHY DESPITE ALL THAT ...THIS CANDIDATE THINKS SHE SHOULD BE - THE TOP COP. TOUGH TALKING. NO NONSENSE. AND APPARENTLY -- NOT AFRAID OF A FIGHT. OR -- MANY FIGHTS. ACCORDING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT RECORDS -- EMILY MONTOYA HAS WORKED FOR MULTIPLE POLICE AGENCIES THROUGHOUT NEW MEXICO -- SIX OF THEM - SHE WAS DISCHARGED FROM TWO - FIRED FROM TWO -- INCLUDING VALENCIA COUNTY WHERE SHE IS CURRENTLY RUNNING FOR SHERIFF. RIGHT NOW -- SHE WORKS AT A SHOP CALLED THE REVOLVING DOOR. I WENT THERE TO TALK TO EMILY MONTOYA ABOUT HER LAW ENFORCEMENT HISTORY. AT FIRST SHE TOLD US SHE WASN'T AVAILABLE -- "i'm out of town." BUT THEN WHEN CUSTOMERS SHOWED UP -- A WHITE TRUCK WITH HER CAMPAIGN SIGNS DID TOO. ALONG WITH EMILY MONTOYA. "did you change your mind? What do you want nancy! I wanted to talk about your history. Okay. Sit down." WE ASKED MONTOYA ABOUT HER PAST THAT INCLUDES TROUBLES WHILE WEARING A BADGE AND TROUBLES WHILE OUT OF UNIFORM TOO -- WHEN SHE WASN'T A COP. ALL OF IT SHE SAYS -- EXPLAINABLE. ACCORDING TO RECORDS WE OBTAINED FROM THE STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY -- MONTOYA'S CAREER IN POLICE WORK BEGAN IN 1991 -- WITH THE SANTA CLARA POLICE DEPARTMENT. RECORDS SHOW SHE WAS DISCHARGED 2 YEARS LATER. IN 1995 -- SHE TOOK A JOB WITH THE STATE MOTOR TRANSPORTATION DIVISION. SHE WAS DISCHARGED THERE AFTER JUST 6 MONTHS. IN 1997 -- MONTOYA WENT TO WORK FOR THE ESPANOLA POLICE DEPARTMENT. SHE LEFT THAT DEPARTMENT AND IN 2001 - AND WENT TO WORK AT THE SANTA FE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE. SHE RESIGNED FROM THE SANTA FE JOB AND WENT TO THE LOS ALAMOS POLICE DEPARTMENT IN 2003. SHE RESIGNED FROM THAT DEPARTMENT -- AND WENT BACK TO WORK AT ESPANOLA. IT WAS THERE -- ACCORDING TO HER LAW ENFORCEMENT FILE - THAT EMILY MONTOYA GOT INTO AN OFF DUTY BRAWL WITH A 68 YEAR OLD MAN -- THEN BRAGGED ABOUT IT TO A NEWSPAPER SAYING QUOTE "HE TOOK A GOOD TONY LAMA KICKING FROM ME. I I KICKED THE EXPLETIVE OUT OF HIM. I GAVE HIM A NORTHERN NEW MEXICO WELCOME." "did you tell the newspaper at the time ..this? That's my saying... Somebody takes a good lickin...they get a good tony lama... that's just a saying that I say" MONTOYA SAYS THE MAN PROVOKED THE FIGHT AND BROKE A LIGHT ON HER PROPERTY. ACCORDING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT RECORDS THAT WASN'T THE ONLY ARGUMENT SHE GOT INTO WHILE SHE WAS AN ESPANOLA POLICE OFFICER. THERE WAS ANOTHER ONE - A WAR OF WORDS WITH A COLLEAGUE. WE READ MONTOYA THE REPORT FROM THAT CASE IN 2008. "i have the paperwork from this and it says and they're quoting you...when I expletive tell you to do something..you do it. Did you say that yeah. That's probably right what I said..is because we had units that were not working correctly." MONTOYA SAYS IN THAT CASE -- SHE WAS UPSET ABOUT ONGOING ISSUES WITH POLICE UNITS. SHE WAS FIRED FROM THE ESPANOLA POLICE DEPARTMENT -- HER RECORDS SHOW -- FOR VIOLATING SEVERAL DEPARTMENT POLICIES. 2 MONTHS LATER IN 2009 -- SHE TOOK A JOB WITH THE VALENCIA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT. ACCORDING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT RECORDS COMMAND STAFF RECEIVED COMPLAINTS ABOUT MONTOYA'S BEHAVIOR FROM FELLOW DEPUTIES AND THE PUBLIC. EMILY MONTOYA WAS FIRED WITHIN A YEAR. AND WHILE SHE WAS NO LONGER A DEPUTY -- MONTOYA WAS STILL DEALING WITH THE LAW. THIS TIME -- ON THE OTHER SIDE. IN 2011-- SHE WAS ACCUSED OF ASSAULTING A MOTHER AND DAUGHTER DURING A SCUFFLE AT A HOME IN VALENCIA COUNTY. MONTOYA WAS CHARGED WITH AGGRAVATED ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON -- BUT LAST YEAR A JURY ACQUITTED HER NOT GUILTY.. "i won and I was exonerated. they got the tiger by the tail ...because I have the right to protect myself just like anybody else does." MONTOYA MAINTAINS ALL OF HER TROUBLES ARE THE RESULT OF BEING TOUGH -FOR THAT -- SHE MAKES NO APOLOGIES. "There are a lot of red flags nancy. But you work in a business where maybe women are accepted better than the business i work at and you have to be strong..and sometimes you must say enough is enough. And you have to put your boxing gloves on. Not that you want to. But you have to." "ACCORDING TO THE LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY - EMILY MONTOYA IS STILL CERTIFIED AND LICENSED TO CARRY A WEAPON. SHE BEAT HER FORMER BOSS, SHERIFF RENEE RIVERA TO WIN THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION IN THE PRIMARY. AND IN THE GENERAL ELECTION IN NOVEMBER SHE WILL TAKE ON THE CURRENT SHERIFF - LOUIS BURKHARD FOR TARGET 7...I'M NANCY LAFLIN."